Photo: Team CORA
Team CORA’s new Trash Backwards database and mobile app promote upcycling by offering alternatives to sending discarded junk to the landfill.
Instead of throwing your trash into the recycling bin or garbage can, unwanted items may be ripe for upcycling. Old mascara wands can be turned into cleaners for small, pesky spaces, empty pen casings can be crafted into a lamp, old gates can be reused as home décor – the possibilities are endless.
The Trash Backwards team shares some upcycling ideas on its blog and Pinterest, where it has garnered nearly as many pins as Oprah and Whole Foods’ pages.
DIY projects are a popular feature of Trash Backwards, though the app also focuses on other facets of sustainability.
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“Our goal is to have multiple solutions, literally every problem you could think of that comes in or out of your life as a North American has solutions”, said CEO Scott James in a phone interview. “Part of the reuse revolution is do-it-yourselfers, people that are handy with tools and a glue gun. When other folks like myself can’t do a do-it-yourself craft to safe their life, I’m going to pass this on, I’m going to gift this item to somebody, or to be able to monetize this.”
The site explores the app’s possibilities by showing what can be done by searching for “plastic phone card” in the database. The “Craft It” tab suggests a variety of DIY options, including guitar picks and charms. The “Pass It” options show that Etsy artists are looking for phone cards for jewelry and the “Recycle It” tab links to a recycling center that turns cards into 100% recycled PVC sheets.
Trash Backwards launched in full public beta on June 2. The full version of the app is slated for North American release August 1.
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